As Northland heads into a new year with stories of triumph, adversity and quirk awaiting, the Northern Advocate looks at the biggest headlines to grip readers in 2025.
Whangārei kayaker Oliver Hopwood got the fright of his life on January 12
New Year’s: Some of the Northern Advocates’ top Northland headlines in 2025
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Whangārei kayaker Oliver Hopwood encountered what he believed to be a 5m shark.
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“I thought ‘holy s***.’ It was a massive great white,” he said. “It was a monster.”
Hopwood nudged the shark with his paddle. It turned away with a splash and Hopwood made a break back to shore.
Mangawhai woman Tina Johnson was asleep on January 26 when a tornado ripped through her home, sucking her and the mattress she was on into its vortex.
About 50 properties were damaged in the whirlwind, which had residents sheltering in wardrobes and cutting power to many.
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Stories of the community banding together surfaced after the disaster, but it was Johnson’s miraculous tale that captured many.
Following months of recovery from horrific injuries, Johnson organised a fundraiser to thank the emergency services that saved her life.
Gourmet oyster farmer Shaun Gregory had been in disbelief back in February when he arrived at his farm in the Kerikeri inlet to discover 24,000 oysters – worth $60,000 – had been stolen.
The oysters were the innovative and award-winning Aqua Mould Systems [AMS] Qyster which has a distinctive “Q” brand on the shell. They were sought by restaurants such as the Plough and Feather in Kerikeri.
The thieves had used the business’ barge to empty the oysters into nearby bins.
Gregory said the sheer volume taken was “gut-wrenching”.
There had been no possibility of claiming on insurance as it did not cover loss of produce.
A three-bedroom house made headlines in February after it fell off the truck transporting it and blocked a Far North road for hours.
What made the situation more intriguing was that when police arrived at the scene in Punakitere Valley, south of Kaikohe, the driver was nowhere to be found.
People in and around Maunu heard loud explosions on October 21, when a blaze broke out in one of Whangārei Hospital’s carparks.
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The blaze started with just one vehicle but quickly spread down the rows of cars, sending flames and thick, potentially toxic, smoke into the air.
Rumours had spread as quickly as the flames as to what had caused the blaze. Most pointed to hearsay that an electric vehicle’s battery had caught alight.
However, a fire investigator confirmed a hot exhaust had ignited grass in the carpark.
Health NZ later released impressive footage of the inferno starting after the rumour mill refused to be quashed.
There was no surprise news that the planned expressway would hasten trips to Auckland, which would be a hit with Northlanders.
An investment case talked about in October showed the planned Northland Expressway will cut 38 minutes off the drive between Auckland’s Te Hana and Whangārei.
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The new road will also reduce deaths and serious injuries on State Highway 1 by 66%.
Kaiwaka couple Peggy and Mike Rangi have had 50 happy years together, including raising three daughters and building their house on the edge of the Kaipara Harbour.
In October, they openly shared their experience with dementia as part of the Northern Advocate’s series raising awareness about the condition and encouraging people to talk about it.
“I was very, very lucky I picked it up. I knew something was happening,” Peggy said.
Mike was diagnosed early, meaning more time to understand what dementia is and how it progresses, and more time to plan for the future.
“I’ve always believed in trying to stay positive,” he said.
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Mike can easily recall stories from the past, such as his career with an international import/export company, working his way up in chemistry sales, despite having no formal qualifications.
Most days, he forgets basic tasks such as washing the dishes but, on bad days, he can be dangerous, such as accidentally opening the car door while being driven down the motorway because he confused the door handle with the window knob.
Peggy, too, tries to stay positive: “I have to remember everything passes, and this too shall pass.”
Far North beachgoers were shocked when they found hundreds of fish believed to be koheru stranded in the shallows and on the shore of Ninety Mile Beach/Te-Oneroa-a-Tōhē in March.
The Department of Conservation confirmed the stranding was a natural phenomenon that occasionally happened along Northland’s coastline, usually in autumn.
Large predator fish – such as marlin and kingfish – chase and herd smaller fish into tight bait balls before attacking them.
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The smaller fish sometimes leap out of the water as they make an escape and can end up stuck on shore.
Fish on the beach weren’t the only phenomenon that captured Northlanders’ attention, there was another one happening in the supermarket aisles.
“Shrinkflation” in the shops caused a stir this year as people tried to cope with the rising cost of living.
Locals felt they were getting less bang for their buck at the supermarket and some eateries as products and portions reduced in size, while the prices remained the same, or even increased.
The sentiment was felt nationwide as shrinkflation seemed to be increasing as businesses looked at the cost-of-living pressures, Infometrics chief executive and principal economist Brad Olsen said.
Catherine Walbran was fast asleep at her Bream Bay home on March 9 when she was jolted awake by a strange “clunk” and an unfamiliar voice yelling in pain downstairs.
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She got up and limped downstairs, her broken leg in a cast.
As she reached the door between the house and the garage, she saw a tall, hooded figure scarpering down the driveway.
“I was so angry,” Walbran said at the time.
However, in a remarkable twist, she and her husband, Trevor Robson, who had been out walking the dog at the time, penned a letter offering to help the intruder.
“I think I would invite them around again. Sit and have a drink, or a coffee, or a cup of tea, and just work out with them what happened, and why,” Walbran said.
Unfortunately, the couple never heard back.
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